About the CAO : Staff

Arne Hoel, The World Bank

CAO's small but diverse team includes professionals from the private and nonprofit sectors with experience in dispute resolution, compliance, social and environmental best practice, cross-cultural communication, research, advocacy, and professional administration.

CAO Staff

Osvaldo Gratacós, Vice President and CAO

﻿Osvaldo L. Gratacós was appointed as Vice President, Compliance Advisor Ombudsman by World Bank Group President, Jim Kim, following an independent selection process led by civil society, industry and academia. He assumed his post in July 2014. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Mr. Gratacós was appointed by President Barack Obama as the Inspector General for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). As the Inspector General, Mr. Gratacós was responsible for inspections of transactions, audits, compliance reviews and fraud investigations relating to Ex-Im Bank’s US$100+ billion credit program portfolio involving over 150 countries. Formerly, Mr. Gratacós was a commercial counsel at Motorola, Inc. and was an attorney advisor and then Acting Legal Counsel to the Inspector General for the U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of Inspector General (USAID/OIG). Mr. Gratacós holds a Bachelors degree from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, a Professional MBA from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida, and a Masters in International Policy and Practice from The George Washington University.

Scott Adams, Specialist, Dispute Resolution

Scott, a US national, has over 17 years of diverse domestic and international experience in providing dispute resolution, management consulting, and training services. His clients and industry experience include the non-profit sector, government, higher education, utilities, health care, biotechnology, transportation, and international development. Prior to joining CAO, Scott founded and managed a private mediation and consulting practice. He has also served in senior positions at Search for Common Ground and CDR Associates, and was formerly an Associate in Booz Allen Hamilton’s Organization and Strategy practice. Scott received his B.A. in Political Science and Russian from Emory University and an LL.M. in Public International Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Daniel Adler, Senior Specialist, Compliance

Daniel Adler leads CAO's compliance function. Prior to joining CAO, Daniel worked in social development with the World Bank in the East Asia Pacific region. His work has focused on fragile and post conflict countries where he has covered issues including land management, resettlement, labor relations, social accountability and justice reform. An Australian national, Daniel is a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and holds degrees in law and social sciences from the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Charity Agorsor, Consultant Services Assistant

A Ghanaian national, Charity Agorsor came to the CAO with extensive experience from IFC's Industry Departments and provides procurement assistance to the CAO office. She is the contact point for all consultants hiring and other Resource Management transaction processing for the CAO.

Gina Barbieri, Principal Ombudsman

Gina Barbieri manages CAO's dispute resolution function and is a South African human rights lawyer and dispute resolution professional. Before joining the CAO she ran a legal practice specializing in mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). She has mediated numerous disputes in the employment, commercial and community arena and is the author of two books on labor practice in the public and private sector. Gina co-authored and edited two IFC publications on the establishment of ADR Centers in emerging markets and guidelines on the practice of ADR. She is a co-founder of the African Institute for Mediation, served as the Deputy Head of the Africa Center for Dispute Settlement, Stellenbosch University Business School, and sat on the steering committee for the establishment of the African Mediation Association. She obtained her BComm LLB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a CEDR (UK) and IMI accredited international mediator.

Anke Campbell, Team Assistant

Born in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, Anke migrated with her family to the United States at the age of 10. Prior to joining CAO, Anke worked as an Account Manager, providing tax credit services, and as a Senior Customer Service Representative in various insurance industries, focusing on vision and auto. Anke works directly with Gina Barbieri and assists specialists and consultants with travel logistics and administrative issues.

Vincent Darcy, Research Analyst, Compliance

Vincent Darcy is a research analyst within CAO’s compliance function. Prior to joining CAO, Vincent worked for a large consulting and audit company, where his focus was on environmental and social issues across various sectors – financial institutions, heavy industries, chemicals, services – and regions. His clients included large corporates, public entities and international organizations. He also has previous experiences in the airline industry and in climate finance. A French national, Vincent has a B.A. in Social Sciences and an M.A. in Finance and Strategy from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).

Patrick Flanagan, Specialist, Compliance

Patrick has work at the CAO since 2011. His work has included reviews of IFC’s financial intermediary portfolio, agribusiness and renewable energy projects. Prior to CAO, Patrick worked for a large international consultancy firm, focusing on the financial and technology sectors. An Irish national, Patrick holds degrees in commerce, international economics and development.

Julia Gallu, Specialist, Dispute Resolution

Before joining CAO, Julia, a German national, was a sustainability risk manager at Swiss Reinsurance Company in Zurich, Switzerland, helping to develop sustainability risk management policies. Previously, she was part of the World Bank Group Extractive Industries Review team, and worked for IFC in the area of environmental and social standards and development impact measurement. Julia is a CEDR accredited mediator, and holds an M.A. in International Relations
and International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a M.A. Joint Honours in Politics and Economics from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Since joining CAO in 2009, Julia has handled complex, multistakeholder dispute resolution processes in diverse sectors and regions, including the mining and oil industry, agribusiness, and infrastructure. These cases addressed issues ranging from labor disputes to conflict over land, water, and impacts on Indigenous peoples and cultural heritage.

Emily Horgan, Specialist, Communications & Outreach

Emily Horgan manages CAO’s communications and outreach program to civil society and other stakeholders. Before joining CAO, Emily worked for IFC's environment and social development department and the World Bank Group Extractive Industries Review, and has experience in the areas of sustainability standards and reporting, evaluations, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and biofuels. Formerly, Emily worked for the Financial Times and in public relations in London. A British national, Emily has an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. Joint Honours in Politics and History from the University of Durham, U.K.

Elizabeth Mensah, Specialist, Advisory

A Canadian and Ghanaian national, Elizabeth Mensah has expertise in grassroots development and conflict management in Africa. Before joining the CAO she taught at Bloomberg School of Public Health (Johns Hopkins). She has also worked with, and serves on the boards of, local and international NGOs in Canada and Ghana. Elizabeth holds a PhD in International Relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Maree Newson, Specialist, Compliance

Maree Newson conducts appraisals, investigation and monitoring work within CAO’s compliance team. Prior to her work with CAO, Maree advised on foreign investment policy with the World Bank Group’s Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice. Maree is qualified to practice law in New Zealand, where she advised public and private sector clients on corporate and regulatory issues including state-owned enterprises, banking and financial services, insurance, climate change, and fisheries. Maree received her LLM in international economic law, human rights, and development from Columbia University. She also holds Honors degrees in Law and Classical Studies from Victoria University of Wellington.

Nokukhanya Nox Ntuli, Specialist, Dispute Resolution

Nokukhanya (Nox) Ntuli is a South African lawyer, mediator, trainer, and process facilitator. Prior to joining CAO, she worked as a Constitutionalism and Rule of Law Expert in the Department of Political Affairs at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. She has extensive experience in mediation and has mediated commercial, employment, land, community, and electoral disputes. She has lived and worked the United Kingdom, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Liberia, Ethiopia, and South Africa in the private, public, non-profit, and multi-national environment. She has also conducted short term projects in Malawi, Botswana, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. She holds a Post Graduate Fellowship on Peace and Security from Kings College London and the African Leadership Centre, an LLM in Corporate Law from Nottingham Trent University, an LLB Honours from the University of Wolverhampton, and a Certificate in Transitional Justice and Peace-building from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. She is an ADR Group (UK) Accredited Mediator, has served on the boards of several non-governmental organizations, and is currently a Board Member at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) in South Africa.

Abisola Odutola, Research Analyst

Abisola is a Nigerian national with environmental consultancy experience within various sectors and industries. Before joining CAO, Abisola worked in the United Kingdom as an environmental consultant on a range of projects involving environmental compliance and permitting, site investigations, environmental impact assessment, environmental management systems, and due diligence audits. Abisola received her MSc. in Environmental Technology (Water Management) from Imperial College London and a BSc. in Geology from the University of Ibadan.

Anne-Claire Olivera, Research Analyst, Dispute Resolution

A French national, Anne-Claire started her career practicing litigation and international dispute resolution in a Parisian boutique law firm. There, she represented States, companies and individuals before courts and international tribunals. In 2014, Anne-Claire moved to the United States to study at Georgetown University Law Center where she focused on international human rights. After graduating from an LL.M and successfully taking the New York bar exam, Anne-Claire worked as a Legal Fellow at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, focusing primarily on impact litigation cases before regional human rights mechanisms. She joined CAO in 2016. In addition to her LL.M, Anne-Claire holds a Maitrise (J.D. equivalent) from the University of Paris-Sud XI and a degree in Management from leading French business school, HEC.

Paula Panton, Executive Assistant

A Jamaican national, Paula brings to the CAO over 25 years of experience working with IFC. Known as the “Field Marshal,” she works directly with Osvaldo Gratacós and provides administrative support to the office.

Andrea Repetto Vargas, Specialist, Dispute Resolution

A Chilean national, Andrea Repetto has a background working on human rights issues in Latin America. Prior to joining CAO in 2010, Andrea worked as a human rights specialist at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, following-up on human rights and international humanitarian law aspects of the demobilization process of the illegal armed group United Self-Denfense Forces of Colombia (AUC), and as country lawyer for Brazil. She also worked in Chile on public interest matters for academic and non-governmental organizations. Andrea holds a law degree from the University Diego Portales in Chile, and a LLM in international and comparative law from the George Washington University Law School. As a dispute resolution specialist for CAO, Andrea has handled multistakeholder dialogue processes in a variety of sectors in Latin America and Africa to address complex environmental and social project issues including health, water, labor, land, and pollution.

Susana Rodriguez, Associate Operations Officer

An Ecuadorian and Spanish national, Susana received her M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and her B.A. in Political Science from Davidson College, NC. Before joining CAO, she worked in various local and international NGOs in the U.S., Switzerland, and South Africa, as well as for UNDP in Ecuador. Susana’s areas of professional interest are conflict management and African studies.

Amenah Smith, Program Assistant
Amenah is an Indonesian national. Prior to joining CAO she was working for the World Bank Group in Jakarta as a Program Assistant in the Operations Services Unit, Legal Department, as well as a Country Program Assistant for the Indonesia Country Management Unit in Washington, DC. Amenah joined CAO as a back up for the Consultant Services Assistant and provides administrative support to the office.